Julia Green, Head of Corporate Events at Center Parcs Conferences & Events, shares her insights on the use of AI in the events world:
Corporate culture has fundamentally changed over the past few years, with the rise of the four-day work week and recent debates over the “right to disconnect” putting ChatGPT firmly in employees’ toolboxes. It’s no surprise that workplace etiquette has a huge impact on the world of corporate events, but it’s even harder to predict exactly how this impact will manifest. Here are my predictions for what trends will continue to shape the events industry into 2025 and beyond.
- Decreasing Attention Span and Dealing with Digital Native Participants
A recent study from King’s College London found that almost half of the population reported feeling unable to concentrate for long periods of time, and attention spans were decreasing. That may be the case. This creates additional challenges for companies when bringing employees together for strategy meetings and workshops, and it’s no wonder that companies are looking for more engaging presentations.
AV, AR, VR and AI technologies that help fight wandering minds are all at the heart of 2024’s most interesting, immersive and impactful events. VR allows viewers to step into any world. This means that presenters can encourage guests to dress as follows: Use VR headsets to participate in life-like virtual training sessions and explore new products in new ways. Looking ahead, the industry will increasingly adopt “experiential” events and immersive technologies to support live audiences and hybrid We are confident that it will provide viewers with engaging storytelling. In 5 years.
- Navigate conferences and events using the mobile app
Another growing trend in corporate events is the reliance on mobile apps, which currently has an average adoption rate of 61%. While we’ve seen this kind of white-label event app really take off in festivals, the music industry, and more recently trade shows, it’s still a fairly novel concept for corporate retreats and away days. However, I’m sure that over the next few years, apps will become an essential add-on to any gathering your business runs.
The app allows conference attendees to access important information such as keynote speakers, times, and locations, as well as a map of the venue. This is especially useful for navigating large events with multiple workshops and activities taking place in parallel. These apps will enable a number of interactive features, including the ability for audience members to ask questions of speakers and vote on important points and decisions. There’s also an important social media-like aspect, with news feeds and built-in messaging capabilities that can connect employees from all parts of the organization who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to communicate.
- Data collection for continuous improvement
With tough economic times, businesses want to ensure that every penny spent is put to good use, and they are under added pressure to demonstrate the ROI of each event. Collecting registration and attendance data, session engagement, and post-event reflections have become a natural part of any event wrap-up process. The problem with post-event surveys is that response rates are usually very low, and even those who take the time to provide feedback often have forgotten most of the day by the time the survey is taken. is. Additionally, the earliest this constructive feedback is often implemented is until the next annual party.
But over the next five years, I see real-time feedback becoming more mainstream in meeting spaces, allowing attendees to shape the events they want during their run. Events are now more fluid, interactive and democratic, giving attendees the opportunity to give real-time feedback on audio quality and background music volume, as well as voting on the order of the day’s events. I’m doing it.
Corporate meetings and days off have historically been associated with drinking and eating, or in other words, luxury. However, a broader focus on employee health in the workplace is driving a push for conferences and events that center health and wellness.
Mindfulness retreats, yoga sessions, and other holistic wellness activities are central to many large companies’ employee benefits strategies and event programs. In response to growing demand, we launched the Twilight Spa package for our corporate customers this year. This gives businesses exclusive access to the award-winning Aqua Sana Forest Spa, which includes expert sleep sessions to help attendees relax and unwind.
- Visualize the value of sustainability
Finally, sustainability is at the forefront of every big company’s event planning agenda, and is clearly on display at the Paris Olympics, reducing emissions in line with the Paris Agreement and setting a new precedent for the future of large-scale events. The purpose was to establish
Eventbrite’s 2024 survey found that 61% of event planners are taking steps to make their events sustainable. For corporate events, this starts with choosing an environmentally friendly venue, relying on locally sourced catering options, using recyclable materials such as compostable cups, and using bicycles. This extends to choosing low-carbon activities such as riding, or even saying goodbye to society. The usual flood of tote bags, paper pads, and pens.
